Anthropologists and Archeologists
SOC 19-3091 · 2024-2034
Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $74,262per year
- Projected openings
- 2,050
- Projected change
- +9.1%
- Usually needs
- Master's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Speaking
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $85,143 | 170 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $76,997 | 50 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $76,658 | 20 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $70,001 | 170 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $67,226 | 100 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $64,373 | 150 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $56,684
- A quarter earn under
- $64,373
- Half earn under
- $74,262
- Three quarters earn under
- $90,402
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $107,703
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $109,481 | 2,910 | +2.7% |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,730 | 1,070 | -5.9% |
| Curators | $80,944 | 1,620 | +7.7% |